Mission 3: Destroyer of Ardor

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"I wonder what was behind the picture of that skeleton," Ruby said, holding her in chin in her hand. Nora gasped.

"That's right! Last episode ended before Jaune entered the room!" she realized. Her face became annoyed. "That wasn't very nice of Abe," she huffed.

"You guys realize this next episode is going to begin with Jaune entering that room, right?" Blake sighed, shaking her head. She pointed as the projector fired up again. "Watch, you're about to find out."

The episode began with a Jaune stepping into a large cathedral, which was illuminated by setting sun from its large glass ceiling and windows. The wall behind him slid shut, preventing him from leaving. As the Huntsman took in his surroundings, he noticed something eerie. At the front of the cathedral was a large alter, above which a small stone tablet hovered. Two large pillars stood at the front of the cathedral, helping to hold up the rounded ceiling. The pillars, however, were warped and twisted, constantly bubbling and writhing as though they were alive. Jaune's eyes widened in recollection.

"Just like in that book I read," he remembered.

"Okay, THAT is eerie," Yang stated, pointing at the writhing pillars in disgust. Mercury nodded.

"You said it, Blondie. But what's even causing that to happen? I don't see any Geist masks on the pillars, so they're not possessed."

"It may not be Geists, but it's definitely caused by the presence of a Grimm," Coco said plainly. "I remember hearing that some Grimm can grow so powerful that they can warp reality with their very presence, like we see here."

"Like Mundus!" Velvet gasped.

Jaune stared at the corrupted pillars in disgust, before noticing a set of double doors off to his right. They were simple plain, wooden door, but above them was a red gem embedded into the wall. He tried to open them, but they were locked. Shrugging, he made his way towards the altar instead. As he got closer, he could make out a picture carved into the stone tablet, depicting a lion standing on its hind legs.

"I'm guessing that'll allow me to activate the lion statue," Jaune commented. He stretched out a hand to take the tablet but as his fingers drew close, the same purple barrier that protected the lion statue appeared in front of the tablet. The Huntsman quickly drew his hand back, to avoid another nasty zap.

"So how is he supposed to activate the statue, then?" Emerald demanded. "If he can't take that tablet, then he's basically screwed."

"Patience, Emerald," Cinder instructed her. "Knowing this castle, Jaune will have to complete a test before he can receive the key needed to move forward."

Jaune examined the altar itself, and discovered some words etched into them. He read them aloud.

"The Pride of Lion is granted only to those who choose the path of trials." As soon as he finished speaking, the stone tablet levitated further up into the air. A large white orb surrounded the artifact, before a long beam of light leapt from it, stretching down the length of the cathedral, until it struck the gem above the wooden doors. The beam died away, as the red gem lit up with a crimson flash. Jaune made his way back over to the doors, and this time, they swung open when he turned their handles.

"Huh," Qrow grunted. "I thought that red gem would be important, somehow."

"Yes, but that doesn't solve the barrier problem," Ms. Goodwitch reminded him.

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